Safety lock for firearms



Nov. 2l, 1950 c. A. YQUNG 2,530,560

SAFETY Loox FOR FIREARMS Filea July 1947 VENTOR. W

BY H

Patented Nov. 21, 1.950

UNITEDA STATES PATENT OFFICE j'V SAFETY LOCK FOR FIREARMS Charles A. Young, Gloucester, Mass.

Application July 5, 1947, Serial No. 759,078

4 Claims. l

'My invention relates to safety devices and, more particularly, to a safety lock for the firing chamber of a rifle, pistol or comparable firearm.

Every year many persons are killed or wounded as the result of accidents with small firearms. In many instancesY the accidents follow from improper handling of rearms by children or other persons not authorized to operate the guns.

The most-important object of my invention is to provide a safety lock for the firing chamber of a firearm in order to prevent the use thereof by unauthorized persons or by persons not in possession of a special instrument necessary for the removal of the lock.

One feature of my invention resides in a tubular sleeve dimensioned to fit within the breach or ring chamber of a gun and provided at its forward end with relatively exible segments capable of being expanded into locking engagement with the wall of the firing chamber by means of an axially movable plug 'contained within the sleeve, there being provided a special instrument comprising two wrenches, one of which is adapted to prevent rotation of the sleeve while the other moves the plug axially within the sleeve to expand or contract the relatively flexible inner segments.

I am aware that tompions have been used which embody wedges for locking them into the muzzle of a rearm, ybut it must be pointed out that such devicesl merely serve to protect the barrel and do not serve as safety devices. In fact, if the gun were fired with a tompion locked in place, a very serious accident would be inevitable. The purpose of my invention is to prevent the introduction of a shell into firing position in the gun. The lock of my invention may b e applied to the ring chamber of a rifle, shotgun, revolver', andrsimilar weapons. In the case of a revolver' a separate lock would be provided for each one of the ring chambers. VFor the sake of simplicity I shall describe an embodiment of` my invention, the best embodiment thereof nowrknown to me, as applied to the firing chamber of a rifle. It should be emphasized, however, that the embodiment shown is but one of many and has been chosen for illustrative purposes in the accompanying drawings:

` Fig.- 1 is a view in cross section through the firing chamber of a rifle showing the lock of my invention in locked position,

Fig. 2 is a view in cross section along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a view in cross section through the 4lock in locked position in a firing chamber,

Fig. 4 is a View in cross section along the line 4--4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a view from the rear of the breachy showing the wrenches in operating position,

Fig. 6 is a View in longitudinal cross section of the lock in the iiring chamber in unlocked con- Fig. 9 is a View in side elevation of the sleeve,` Fig. 10 is a view in front elevation of the sleeve,A

and

Fig. 11 is a view in front elevation of the two Wrenches.

In the drawing I have shown a rifle barrel I0 enclosing a tapered ring chamber I2, all of conventional design. The lock includes a substan-. tially cylindrical sleeve I4 of brass or comparable relatively resilient metal. The sleeve is provided internally with an axial threaded bore I6, andi four slots IB are cut into the end of the sleeve.. The intermediate section of the lock comprises: a substantially cylindrical portion 20 of somewhat: less diameter than the rear half and contains a. forwardly tapering bore. Secured to the front: end of the lock is a soft nose of lead or similar` material. The portion 20 and the nose E0 are provided with four relatively long slots 22 which divide them into four segments, each of which is relatively flexible.

A plug 30 is provided at its rear end with threads which engage in the threads of the bore I6 so that the plug may be moved axially along the sleeve I4 by relative rotation therewith. At its forward end the plug 30 comprises an elongated, rounded projection 32 dimensioned to enter the tapering bore in the front half 20 of .the sleeve I 4 and it will be seen from an inspection of Figs. 3 and 6 that the plug may be rotated to move it axially to the left so that the end of the portion 32 is Withdrawn into a position where it does not touch the walls of the tapered bore in the front half 20 of the lock. This condition is shown in Fig. 6 and it will be seen that the seg-- on its forward end four lugs 44 dimensioned to t into the slots I8 in the rear end of the sleeve I4. The rear end of the member 40 is provided with a relatively large bore for the reception of a cylindrical piece 46 having an integral handle 52 and held in the member 40 by means of a snap ring 48 which cooperates with appropriately formed grooves cut into the bore of the member 40 and into the cylindrical piece 46. Fed into the piece 49 and passing through a bore in the member 40' is a hexagonal rod 59. The end of the rod 50 is adapted to enter a hexagonal socket 3| formed in the rear end of the plug 30.

After the lock has been inserted in the firing chamber I2 and tightened in place, the nose 60 eifectively prevents it from being driven out rearwardly, inasmuch as the soft lead of the nose 60 will flow around the forward end 32 of the plug 30 and against the wall of the ringchamber I2. The harder the nose is struck, the more will it become deformed and tightened in` place. In inserting the lock into the firing` chamber Ill,y the following procedure is followed: assuming that the plug 30 is in' its withdrawn position sothat the segments 29 are not stressed, the sleeve containing the plug is pushed into the firing chamber I2 and the key then applied so that the lugs 44-I engage the slots I8 in the sleeve I4 and the hexagonal ro-d 50 is engaged in the socket 3I. The operator then holds the handle 42 so that the sleeve Ill-cannot turn. Finally the handle 52 is rotated to drive the plug 3U forwardly inV the bore I6 until the projection 32 has so far entered the tapered bore that the segmentsZ-are flexed outwardly into rm lockingy engagement with the wall of the firing chamber l2. Then the wrenches; are removed; It is then impossible to remove the lock from the firing chamber without resorting` to the special wrenches. If a screwdriver be inserted to engage a pair of the slots I8', the entire lock will rotate within the firing chamber, provided suflicient torque is exerted. However, this will not eiecv withdrawal of the lock from the ring chamber. It might be thought that thelock could be removed effectively merely by using a hexagonal Spanner to turn the plug 39 and release the segments 2B. However, I have satisfied myself by experimentsmany times repeated that. this is. not the case. The entire lock will turn. In other words, there' is no way to remove the lock except by holding the sleeve against rotation and simultaneously turning the plug in counterclockwise direction. It

may be that the plug 30 will turn relative to the sleeve I4 at rst, but a point is quickly reached Where the whole lock will turn Without becoming loose enough to respcndto any axial thrust which may be placed upon it. The nose 69, as'previously outlined, effectively prevents anyone from driving the lock out by thrusting against it down the barrel.

The wrenches may be relatively quit@ small and easy to put away in a secreted position or a locked receptacle so that unauthorized persons are effectively preventedY from unlocking the gun. The, owner of a gun may profitably employ the lock of-my invention when on hunting trips, sincel thegu-n. may be left unguarded and the wrenches conveniently carried inhis pocket.

Having thus disclosed my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. Safety lock for reman comprising a sleeve, a plug threaded in the sleeve, a plurality of relatively flexible segments formed in one end of the sleeve and so shaped that the plug may be axially translated to exert a thrust radially against the segments, and soft metal caps secured to the outer ends of said segments.

2, Safety lock for firearms, comprising a substantially cylindrical member having a longitudinal through and through bore partially threaded adjacent one end and being adapted at one end to receive a Spanner wrench, the opposite end of said member being cut to provide relatively fiexible segments, a plug having one threaded portion engaging the threads in said bore and adapted to receive a torque-applying member, and a second unthreaded portion adapted to enter amofng said segments, the said bore being tapered adjacent to the flexible segments whereby when the unthreaded portion of the plug is forced into that section of the bore. the iiexible segments will be forced apart.

3; The safety lock for firearms, comprising a substantially cylindrical member having a longitudinal threaded bore extendingy from one end thereof to merge with a tapered bore, said cylindrical member being cut tor form relatively iiexible. segments about said tapered bore, the other end of said member being adapted to receive a Spanner wrench, a plug threaded intov said threaded bore and havingy a projection adaptedv to. engage the inner surfaces of thesegments, the said plug being adapted to receive a torqueapplying member for purposes of rotating said plugV to move it axially ofA the said cylindrical member.

4. A safety lock for the firing chamber of a` rearm, comprising a sleeve ofA relatively resilient material, a plug threaded in said sleeve one end of the sleeve and having a tapered bore cut to provide relatively flexible segments, and noses connected one each to said flexible segments, said noses being made of malleable material, the saidy plug being adapted to receive means for rotating it and. the saidv sleeve being adapted toreceive means preventing its rotation.

CHARLES A. YOUNG;

REFERENCES CITEDy The following references areof record in the' ,le of' this patent:

' UNITED STATES PA'I'ENTS Number Name' Date 614,547 Haworth Nov. 22, 1898 791,548 Fischer June k6, 1905 1,144,795 Schmelzkopf June 29, 1915 11,842,698 Stitt Jan. 26, 1932 1,997,878; Wagner Apr., 16 1935 2,327,334 Parker Aug. 17, 1943 2,370,327 Rosan .l Feb. 27, 1945y FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 4,977 Great Britain Oct. 19, 1882 

